National HIV Testing Day
June 28, 2009 by Caitlin
Filed under Bloggers, Caitlin Frazier, Voices of Xenia
Yesterday, June 27th was National HIV Testing Day, the culmination of testing week. Cities across the country planned and executed events to test thousands of individuals for HIV, hoping to identify some of those who are unknowingly infected. It’s a valuable annual event that can increase awareness and advocate for decreasing behaviors at high risk for HIV. The agency where I work in HIV testing and counseling increased our testing sites and the number of testers at each site to accomodate testing week.
Even President Obama advocated for testing day in the following statement.
On this 14th commemoration of National HIV Testing Day, I urge Americans to take control of their own health – and protect those they love – by getting tested for HIV and working to reduce HIV transmission.
One in five Americans currently living with HIV – more than 230,000 people – do not know they have the disease, and the majority of sexually transmitted infections are spread by people who are unaware of their status. But studies show that once people learn they are infected, they take steps to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others.
Despite advances in treatment, HIV remains a major threat to the health of our nation. While its impacts are not evenly spread – infection rates are particularly high among gay and bisexual men, African Americans and Latinos – when one of our fellow citizens becomes infected with HIV every nine-and-a-half minutes, the epidemic affects all Americans.
That is why I have pledged to develop and implement a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) that will focus on reducing HIV incidence, increasing access to care, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy will also increase awareness, and promote greater investment in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in the U.S. And it will include measurable goals, timelines, and accountability mechanisms; rely on sound science; and build on programs and practices that work.
But government can only do so much. Each of us must take responsibility for reducing our risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV and for supporting affected individuals and communities. This means getting tested for HIV and working to end the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV face. It means embracing all of our neighbors, gay and straight. And it means responding with compassion to people dealing with addictions and others issues that place them at increased risk for HIV infection. Working together, I am confident that we can stop the spread of HIV and ensure that those affected get the care and support they need.
Obama not only talks the talk, he also walks the walk. In 2006, then Senator Obama and his wife Michelle were openly tested for HIV while visiting Kenya, spreading the message that everyone can and should get tested. In addition to the president, Secretary of Health and Human Services also made a statement about the importance of getting tested.
However, millions of Americans are still unaware of their HIV status. What could be done to encourage those people to get tested? As we wait for the answer to appear, those who are unaware of their HIV+ status make up 70% of new infections in the United States. In my experience, many of those positive individuals who do not know their status have access to testing but do not wish to discover their status for fear that they will be positive. But, waiting merely delays treatments that can prolong life and reduce physical suffering. The faster a new infection is identified, the more that can be done to delay the onset of the virus. Some drugs are only effective if they are taken when the virus is just starting to attach to healthy cells. Other drugs must be taken when the virus is beginning to replicate. But, no matter what stage of the virus is occurring, knowing is always better for your health than not knowing.
A few weeks ago, I tested a gentleman positive at my agency. He was in his late twenties with many years ahead of him. The diagnosis of being HIV+ has changed the nature of that life. When speaking with him, he expressed a feeling like it was inevitable that he would contract HIV. But, he was wrong. No matter what your sexual orientation or ethnicity, you have the capacity to stay HIV negative.
New infections do not have to happen.
Knowledge is power.
Caitlin is a University of Oklahoma graduate who is recently completed an Americorps year of service in Los Angeles, CA. She lives in LA and writes freelance.
For your Tulsa readers, H.O.P.E. gives free HIV tests around the city and at the Dennis R Neill Equality Center. The people who run it there are amazing people who are also involved in the LGBT community.